


the answer's in your heart

by youareoldfatherwilliam



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff without Plot, Slice of Life, i really just wanted to write gentle cuddling that's all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 11:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19197631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youareoldfatherwilliam/pseuds/youareoldfatherwilliam
Summary: A little end-of-day relaxation.





	the answer's in your heart

**Author's Note:**

> So, this entire one-shot is tooth-rotting cuddles. That's it, there is no plot to speak of whatsoever. It takes place sometime in an imagined future, when they're in their later twenties. Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Title is from "Everything I Need", by Skylar Grey. Because, I have a slight obsession with the Aquaman movie. It was just so sweet! And fluffy, and happy, for a superhero movie, which are never happy, so it made me smile. And I like happy things :p

When Katara enters their bedchambers, her fiancé is nowhere in sight.

There is, however, a gentle splashing noise coming from the attached bathroom. She moves through the room, taking the time to shed her outermost layers as she does, until she is only left barefoot in a simple blue robe, hair loosened from where it’s been in a half-topknot. She doesn’t bother with knocking, but walks right in.

As she expected, Zuko is in the large, circular tub that takes up a good chunk of their bathroom; before coming to the Fire Nation palace, she’d had no idea people could even own such luxuries. The water is partly clouded, scented with moonpeach blossoms, but she can make out her fiancé’s form through the gentle ripples. The Firelord is half-floating in the middle of the tub, with his hair flowing out behind him in an inky cloud. Golden eyes fixate on her the moment she walks through the door. “Care to join me, love?”

In answer, she drops her robe and mounts the steps leading towards the bath, until she is situated in the water next to him. Soothing heat caresses her, and she cannot help the sigh that escapes her lips. It has been a long day, of learning the political history of the Fire Nation and its people. After all, she will be their next queen; it is vital that she understand her subjects. But her brain is tired and her muscles are sore; hours have been spent poring over dusty library books and reciting lessons for her tutors.

Zuko seems to read her thoughts; his arms come up around her waist and pull her gently, until she is situated in his lap, leaning against his chest. Behind her, she can feel his breath upon the nape of her neck, and his solid presence. His hands move to her shoulders, where they start to massage the tension that has gathered.

A moan then escapes her; she tips her head forwards, urging him on. Behind her, Zuko gives a breathy chuckle; and she can feel his lips move forward to kiss at her neck; soft nibbles interspersed with the firm, circular motion of his fingers. She can also feel a growing hardness, lower down, but Zuko doesn’t seem inclined to do anything about it, and she is far too relaxed now to move. Eventually, the Firelord speaks again. “How was your day?”

“Long.” She tries to twist around to face him, but his arms hold her where she is. “Minster Xing wouldn’t stop glaring at me every time I got a question wrong. I swear, one of these days I’m going to bend him into the ocean.”

“Xing is a tough old bastard, but he wouldn’t be so hard on you if he didn’t believe in you.” Zuko kisses her neck again, as his hands creep further down her back. “You’ll be a wonderful Fire Lady, and everyone knows it.”

She grins a little, moving her hands so that she can grasp one of his calves underwater, where they’ve surrounded her; kneading at the strong muscle. “I know I will. I refuse to be anything less.”

Her fiancé laughs a little more, at that. “Stubborn till the end”. His hands pause in their wandering, before they circle around and run down her front, before clasping in front of her belly. “Want me to wash your hair?”

“Yes, please.” The very first time that he’d done so, she’d been pleasantly surprised. For being spoiled royalty, he knew what he was doing. Eventually, after much pestering, he’d confessed that his mother used to wash his hair when he was little, and as a child he’d tried to help her wash hers back (not that he’d been good at it); but years of practice have paid off. His hands are gentle, being careful not to snag, and he always manages to bring her to a state of utter relaxation.

“As you wish.” He taps her shoulder, and she scoots forward, idly bending the water around her. She feels him shift to grab the scented wash that they keep in a glass jar on the side of the tub. For a few moments, there is silence, as he pours the liquid; but when he starts to massage her scalp, he speaks again. “Have you figured out which flowers you want for the wedding centerpieces, yet?”

She almost moves to face him, but is too distracted by the blissful feeling of his fingers threading through her untamable hair. “That was your job!”

He snorts. “No, I distinctly remember you saying, ‘Zuko, pick out the tablecloths and determine the place settings for guests. I’ll do the flower arrangements for centrepieces’.” He adopts a high, sultry voice, and she smacks him on the leg, causing ripples to flow in the water around them.

“I don’t sound that way! And no, I told you that I’d do the place settings, and you could do the flowers!”

She can’t see him, but she can _feel_ his smirk. “Nope. Toph was there, she can tell you exactly what you said.”

“Sweet Yue.” She groans, and slumps further back against him even as he begins to collect her lathered hair into a coil atop her head. “Fine, how did you arrange the people, then?”

It’s his turn to groan now. “I… am having some difficulty determining where to put Pakku.”

At that, she sits up, and really does turn to face him. “What? I told you-” but she has to splutter, as a stray soap bubble falls in her mouth. Zuko starts to laugh, in front of her, and she glares before ducking her head under the water. She uses her bending to rinse the wash out as best as possible, before resurfacing. “I told you to put Pakku with Gran-Gran! They’re married!”

He shakes his head, and moves his hands to brush her soaking hair out of her face. “I know, but he’s a member of the White Lotus as well, remember? I can’t decide if I should put him with the other Lotus members, aside from Uncle, of course, or put him at the head table with Gran-Gran.”  

She pauses to think it over. “Why isn’t Uncle with the White Lotus, again?”

“Because he’s the only family I have.” She knows this is technically true. They have received tips recently, about the location of Ursa. None have paid off, however, and the former lady remains missing; Ozai (not that he was a true father) was executed after the war, and Azula remains locked up in her mental facility. But it is also not true; she is his family, and Sokka, and Suki, and Toph and Aang; but this is not what he means, she knows. “He has to sit at the head table of our families, with Gran-Gran and Hakoda.”

She nods. “In that case then, you should put Pakku there as well. He’ll get grumpy if you leave him alone with King Bumi for too long.” Despite being lifelong friends, the two elders seem to be constantly bickering; it is amusing, but also irritating, and she refuses to let her wedding day be spoiled by their back-and-forth.

Zuko smiles, softly. “Alright.” The water is getting colder, now, but with a flick of his wrist, soon there is steam rising again. She takes a moment to remove some of the soap bubbles from the surface with her bending; dumping them into a nearby drain. He leans forward, and presses his forehead against hers. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I know.” Sometimes she can’t believe that she’s here, engaged to the ruler of a Nation that she despised for most of her life. Not just the country, but him too, and everything he represented; their relationship has never been easy, or simple. There has been an endless supply of heartache, of pain and anger. But they have learned together, they have grown, together, and she trusts him more than anyone else in the world; he understands her like no one else ever has, before. And she knows him, inside and out; knows the guilt he still carries, his determination, his fierce pride and love for his people, for her. She knows how he laughs, knows his anger, knows every scar on his body and how he got them.

She moves her hands so that she can card her fingers through his hair and massage his head. He groans as his eyes slip shut, and moves to press a kiss at her lips. “I never thought I could have this.”

“But you do.” She places both hands on his cheeks, scarred and unscarred, and forces him to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere, Zuko.”

He smiles, even if she can still see the years-long uncertainty cracking at the edges. “I know. I might not always seem like it, but I know. And I love you for it.” He kisses her again. “My lady.”

She knows that he means it, even when the years of pain sometimes weigh on him. So, she kisses him back, twice as hard, pausing to mumble against his lips. “Stupid firebender.”

His arms come around her then, and he pulls her further into his chest, against the red starburst on his skin that she knows to no longer feel guilty for, even if sometimes she can hardly bear the memory that it stirs. She goes willingly, and they lean back against side of the tub, luxuriating in the blissful heat.

She can feel herself getting more tired as time goes on; eventually, her eyes start to slip shut. Behind her, Zuko shifts, and she finds herself aloft in his grip, snugly tucked into his body. He starts to walk, presumably to find towels, but before he can she opens her eyes and flicks her wrist, drying them both. Against her back, his chest reverberates with a laugh. “I was going to steam us dry, you know.”

She rearranges herself so that she can poke him. “Maybe, but it’s _water_. Doesn’t it make more sense to have the _waterbender_ do it?”

He snorts. “Keep telling yourself that.” Eventually, he sets her down on their bed. “Want me to get you a robe?”

She shakes her head. “No need, after all, I have a _firebender_ to keep me warm.”  

“Agni, Katara, let it go.” He’s grinning, though, as he slides in behind her and pulls the covers over them both. His arm comes up around her, and she can feel him softly kissing along the back of her neck. She hums, and turns to face him, tucking herself so that she’s as close to him as possible; his hand starts to rub gentle circles on her back. She brushes her fingers against his chest and over his jawline, soaking up as much of his heat as possible. She can feel her eyelids closing further, and the heaviness of sleep beginning to overtake her as she is surrounded by warmth, by love. Before she drops asleep, she feels the gentle press of lips on her forehead.

Her murmured _I love you too_ is spoken into the quiet space between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> And yes, I couldn't resist the little princess bride reference...or the miraculous one...because I am utter trash for soft super-cheesy bits of romance (grins).


End file.
